‘It’s about time!’ LeBron James greets teammates ahead of first Olympics in 12 years as NBA legend goes for gold in Paris

NBA superstar LeBron James has joined Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics.

The 39-year-old is preparing for his first Olympic Games since winning gold at London 2012.

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LeBron met up with his teammates in Las Vegas on Friday as they gathered for a pre-tournament training camp.

The USA basketball team is being coached by Steve Kerr and is aiming for a fifth consecutive Olympic gold.

Four-time NBA champion LeBron was welcomed by stars such as Anthony Davis, Steph Curry and Devin Booker.

He was seen hugging and joking as the team awaited their first practice game against Canada on July 10.

“I want to have a good summer,” LeBron joked after seeing his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Davis in the viral video.

“And there’s no way I’m going to have a good summer with this guy here, man!”

Golden State Warriors superstar Curry later referenced LeBron’s 12-year absence from Olympic teams.

“It was time!” he said, hugging James.

“Please tell me the @netflix camera is filming the most amazing documentary ever,” replied one fan on X.

“It’s different when GOAT James arrives,” said another.

“By the way, I just passed out from the aura,” joked a third.

“This team is ridiculous!” she choked out a quarter.

Later in the clip, LeBron is asked what he “looks forward to” most about Paris.

“Just play ball,” he replied, adding, “That’s what I’d love to do. It’ll be fun.”

After the training camp in Las Vegas, the team will fly to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, and then to London, England.

Time for LeBron to retire?

“At the end of the day, I hate to say it, but I believe it in my soul right now: I wish LeBron James would retire.

“Not because I don’t want to see more LeBron James, not because I don’t appreciate LeBron James.

“But I honestly believe that deep down, the longer LeBron James continues to play basketball, the more it will hurt his legacy and the more it will continue to hurt his GOAT argument.

“As long as he steps on that floor, every season, there will be expectations that he will win a championship.

“And when he doesn’t, we’ll be looking at him and saying, ‘Well, what happened now?’”

ESPN star Kendrick Perkins speaking on First Take about LeBron James’ future in the NBA

Team USA will play five warm-up games in total before beginning their quest for gold on July 28 against Serbia in Lille, France.

LeBron and Curry join a host of current NBA stars reminiscent of the 1992 Dream Team that won gold in Barcelona.

Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday are on the plane after winning the NBA title with the Boston Celtics last season.

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves are also heading to Europe.

LeBron recently signed a two-year extension with the Lakers worth $104 million.

The new deal will allow him to stay in California to play alongside his 19-year-old son Bronny.

Bronny was selected with the 55th overall pick in last week’s NBA Draft in New York.

A guard out of USC, he reportedly received a four-year contract worth $7.9 million.

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